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PSPEvents.com
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PanAmCircuit.com
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2003 Season Closers Near
October 2003
With the fall comes the close of the
2003 tournament season, it’s a wrap-up where season ender events are usually
draw more teams and are played with more fire, because they are the last
chance to get series points for the year’s league ranking.
The
CFOA
Carolina Field Owner’s Association
season ender has just passed. An early end to the season for the
CFOA prevented date conflicts with the NPPL and PSP, making it easier on
teams who wanted to play both series. The last event was held September
27th at The Alternative Sport in Kingsport, TN. 64 teams were in
attendance ranking from rookie to amateur. XSF and Thrash Black had
played such strong seasons that they locked themselves in as series winners
and reffed the event. Over $10,000 in prizes were given away, and
XSF and Thrash Black ended up winning entry fees to the PSP World Cup,
and a skid of paint each from National Paintball Supply. The CFOA
has already begun planning for the 2004 season, and at the Kingsport event,
CFOA leadership closed a 2004 contract with National Paintball Supply,
securing National again as the league’s presenting sponsor. Watch
for more news about the CFOA season ender from WARPIG Media Partner Paintball
2 Xtremes Magazine. For registration information on the 2004 season
as it becomes available, see TheCFOA.com
PSP
A tradition in Paintball, the World
Cup, is being held the 18th through 26th of October. This year the
tournament is finding a new venue in the Orlando, Florida area – The ABC
Wide World Of Sports complex at Walt Disney World. This venue, which
is used for all sorts of sports competitions throughout the year means
plenty of amenities on site, paved parking and well groomed playing surfaces.
In 2003 a single field was set up next to the Wide World of Sports parking
lot for the NCPA X Ball Finals and NXL exhibition matches the day after
World Cup. This demonstration allowed the Disney staff to see the
impact of an operating paintball field on their facilities, and paved the
way for this venue in 2003. Like the rest of the PSP season Word
Cup will have open competitions in 5 player, 10 player, and X Ball formats.
Additionally the event will host the 2003 season finals competition for
the NXL, National X Ball League professional play. With the number
of fields on site, and parking on one side of the facility, Disney is working
with Paintball Sports Promotions to provide intra site transportation,
shuttling players and their gear between the parking and staging areas.
Cross promotions are planned to bring in more of the general public and
Disney visitors as spectators who will get to view not only the competitions
but the World Cup trade show as well. Admission is not charged for
the Wide World of Sports Complex, but Disney is offering discounted entry
to the other Walt Disney World theme parks to World Cup attendees who wish
to combine the tournament with a family vacation. For registration
information, see PSPEvents.com.
For the series rankings of teams heading into the World Cup, see WARPIG.com/paintball/tournament/psp.
NPPL
Super 7 Man Series
The NPPL, in its first year of 7 man
competition, and first year working with British based Pure Promotions
has had a strong following from its ground breaking season launch on the
west coast that was literally on the coast – right on the shore at Huntington
Beach, California. Over the summer of 2003 plans were unfolding for
the league’s 5th event to be held in early October, on Miami Beach.
Venue and space problems prompted a rescheduling of the tournament, which
will be known as the Commander’s Cup in honor of the late Maurice Gibb,
to the 7th-9th of November. The move to a later calendar date also
has a weather benefit - moving the event out of Florida’s hurricane season.
Even though a hurricane would not be likely that late in the season, typical
weather patterns include strong winds on the beach and thunderstorms in
mid afternoon along the South Florida Coast. Relocating to Tamiami
Park, part of the Dade County fairgrounds also offers additional wind protection
moving inland from the coast.
New changes afoot before the start of
this event include the appointment of Pete “Robbo” Robinson of Nexus and
US editor of Paintball Games International Magazine to the league rules
committee, and the long awaited adoption of standardized tests to back
up the league’s existing ban on staining paint. While the league
has prohibited staining paint for several seasons, few could agree in the
past what paint stained and what did not. The new testing criteria
will make the decision of allowing or rejecting particular brands a less
subjective process. For registration information see NPPL.tv
The
Pan Am Circuit
The Pan Am has gone to the opposite
end of the scheduling plan by placing its season ender after the PSP and
NPPL events. December 2-7, the Pan Am Season will end at the All
Sport Sports Complex in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has hosted the Pan Am
finals since the 2001 season. The season ending event will include
3 player young gun competition, 3 player stock class, 5 player competition
and 7 player competition. The Pan Am Circuit appeared on the scene
in 2000, evolving out of its predecessor, the Great Western Series.
In years past it has primarily consisted of separate 5 and 10 man major
competitions which culminate in the season ender which hosts both 5 and
10. In addition to the major events, teams can raise funds by throwing
affiliated tournaments. The affiliated events are sanctioned by the
league and teams can gain additional series points by playing in them.
Historically, the 5 man competition has been a bigger draw than the 10
man, but for 2003 the league swapped out its 10 man competition for 7 man,
which quickly became the dominant format. The teams have embraced
the 7 man so readily that in 2004 the series will be switching to 7 man
competition only. This will decrease the number of venues needed
over the year, and consolidate prize packages for larger winnings.
In addition, the league will drop its long held 200 round paint limit in
favor of unlimited paint competition. Plans remain in place for the
Pan Am to be a bring your own paint series. For registration information,
see PanAmCircuit.com.
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